Tuesday, December 11, 2007

The revolutionaries used the Boston Massacre for propaganda. They wanted the incident to help get people angry at the British Government. Why do you think John Adams, who later became the second President of the United States, rose to the defense of the soldiers involved in the incident?

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

If you recall from earlier posts we discovered that seeds planted in diaper gel alone do not grow. We also turned the seeds that sprouted upside down to examine gravitropism; unfortunately the experiment didn't work, the roots dried out because I didn't cover them. Then I planted some beans that sprouted in the gel to see if they would grow. If you look closely at the pictures you can see they did not do well, the roots started to mold. The plants that grew in the cotton and paper towels are doing very well, however.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

The roots of the bean plant above are growing down into the container. This is an example of gravitropism.I turned the beans upside down so the roots go up. Will they continue to grow up, or will they start to grow down?

Help me decide what animals we should have in the classroom. I am looking at creating a desert biome to go with the river ecosystem we already have. I also have the fish tank and an extra tank as well. What animals should we get?

The rules to follow are: The animals must be user friendly- no cantankerous animals. No animals that require expensive or demanding feeding. The animals must be able to live in the available tanks, no elephants, whales, etc.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

The success or failure of a party depended most heavily on their choice of equipment and supplies for the journey. Every emigrant insisted on taking along some luxuries and items of sentimental value. Chamber pots, lanterns, mirrors, Bibles, school books, clocks, and furniture were crammed into odd spaces in almost every wagon. Emigrants were advised not to overload their wagons, but many underestimated the magnitude of the trek they were setting out on and were later forced to discard nonessential cargo. Hard stretches of the Trail became littered with such castoffs as emigrants lightened the load for their weary animals.

Certain accessories and tools for making emergency repairs to a wagon were necessary to bring along. These included rope, brake chains, a wagon jack, extra axles and tongues, wheel parts, axes, saws, hammers, knives, and a sturdy shovel. Cooking utensils were also required -- few overlanders were without a Dutch oven and a good iron skillet -- and the trip was simply not possible without a water barrel to get the party and their animals through dry stretches of the Trail. Weapons and kits for casting bullets were essential, as well, though they were far more commonly used for hunting than for fighting Indians.

However, most of the space in the emigrants' wagons was reserved for food.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Paul Revere was made famous for his "Midnight Ride". Read the poem then you can go to his Wikipedia page to learn more about him. After you read about him, check out this video. Then read this excerpt from:

THE TRUE STORY OF PAUL REVERE

By Charles Gettemy

"Most men like Revere--- somewhat above the average of the mass, but not possessing the usual elements of enduring fame-- pass out of life eulogized by their fellow-citizens; remembered by a circle of admiring and respecting friends until they also pass away; and are ultimately forgotten, finding no place upon the pages of written history.Â

"Paul Revere was rescued from this fate by an accident-- the witchery of a poet's Imagination.Â His famous ride on the night of the 18th of April, 1775, remained unsung, if not unhonored, for eighty-eight years, or until Longfellow in 1863 made it the text for his Landlord's Tale in the Wayside Inn.

"It is to Longfellow's simple and tuneful ballad that most persons undoubtedly owe their knowledge of the fact that a man of the name of Revere really did something on the eve of the historic skirmish at Lexington which is worth remembering."

Does our society honor Paul Revere as the great hero, or does our society honor the real Paul Revere who simply did his job? Explain your opinion.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

If you remember, I found an article in the Joplin Globe about the excavation of a time capsule that contains a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere. Here is a link to a slide show of the capsule. The capsule will be opened in June for the 100th anniversary of Oklahoma statehood.

Learning isn’t about being productive or being able to compete in today’s world or even being entrepreneurial. It is about making choices for yourself, being in control of your own destiny, about leading a good life, being the best you can be, however you define ‘good’ and ‘best’ to be.

Sounds like me, don't you think? The ability to make choices comes from education. Those without an education have few choices. Those with an education have many more. Will you be one of the 25% or one of the 75%?

M.C. Escher was a famous artist. In art you will create tessellations using his technique. Click on his website here. Click on the picture gallery link on the left side and then click on the symmetry link on the page to see some of his tessellations. Then click here to see how he did it.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Watch the video and leave your thoughts, you don't need the audio to read the information. If this doesn't make you want to study, then prepare to pluck chickens. (If they don't invent a machine to do it first!)

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Watch the video. It shows dust storms from the 1930's. We know that overfarming contributed to what we now call the Dust Bowl. If you had been living then, what advice would you give the government to help stop the wind erosion? There is no sound for this video.

Did you know the Dred Scott decision was rendered at a courthouse in St. Louis? The courthouse is within short walking distance of the Arch. Would you like the History Club to visit St. Louis next year and visit this historic courthouse?

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Nominate your favorite historical figure you learned about in Social Studies this year. Include why he or she is your favorite. The winning post will see the name of the person in a star like the one above on the blog.

Friday, March 23, 2007

We identified how we are similar to the school and community at Eek. We identified similar disadvantages we both have. The technology coordinator said that that "to be competitive in this world today, technology is absolutely imperative. Do you agree with him? Why or why not?

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Being human means making mistakes. What you do after the mistake is made is what separates the mature from the immature. A mature person recognizes the mistake, takes responsibility for the mistake, and tries to fix the mistake. Write about a time you made a mistake. How did you solve the problem the mistake presented?

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

We experimented creating rivers with cups that had 1 and 3 holes respectively. Investigate 5 will return to the one hole cup. We will be trying to make the water go where we want it to go. What kinds of things can you think of to do that might make the water flow where you want it to go? Best post will win a prize!

Monday, February 19, 2007

Now that it is even easier to get to the site since I bought the domain name noeltigers.info, I am hoping for postings by people not in my class. If you are reading through the site, please post a comment here. FYI, your comment will not be shown until I moderate it. I have to be careful about the information posted!

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

My knee surgery went fine. It is a little sore and swollen, but it makes a really cool squishing sound when I bend it. It grossed Minden out. I hope you are all behaving well for the substitute. If you want to leave any messages to me, I will be checking the blog every day. If you don't want your message posted, tell me. I will be at school for a meeting Thursday afternoon. Maybe I will see you then.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

After collecting the data on how much water you use each day and watching the video "The Mysterious Neighbor", identify 3 things you can do to help conserve water. Remember to use complete sentences in your answer.